


A Vigorous Cup of Coffee

by HardPass



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Coffee kink?, F/M, I did not realize people could hold hands with that much intensity, I spent more time laughing at this stupid fic than I did writing it, aggressive hand holding, coffee is erotic?, eyefucking, no actual fucking, pretty sure there are some euphamisms hidden in there, so much hand holding, vigorous coffee drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-12 08:37:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11158206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HardPass/pseuds/HardPass
Summary: Non-smut adjacent chapter for my "Among Other Things" readers who aren't keen on explicit scenes, but don't want to miss anything. It's almost identical to Chapter 9, sans smut, with drinking coffee substituted in all explicit areas. It's got the same beginning and end, and most of the dialogue in the middle is identical or adapted to fit the scene.So if smut's not your cup of tea (or coffee), this scene technically doesn't have any.





	A Vigorous Cup of Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to Aphy (Yes, I KNOW I didn't have to write you this chapter, but I did it because it seemed like a good idea at the time and was fun and silly anyway. Don't argue with me.) 
> 
> If you're curious what the scene REALLY contains, it can be found on chapter nine here. <http://archiveofourown.org/works/10834593/chapters/24048288>

 

The walk to his apartment took longer than it should have, as Reyes aggressively held her hand the entire way, occasionally tracing his fingers up her arm to her elbow and placing chaste kisses to the underside of her wrist. 

“We’re never going to make it at this rate,” Violet complained in the lift as it settled on the ground at the slum level. 

He’d been too busy tracing the line of her knuckles with his thumb to have noticed. He drew her hand back up to his lips, winking quickly and delaying them a moment longer than strictly necessary. She drew closer, fitting her body up against his so that when she inhaled, all she smelled was Reyes. Kadara’s underbelly usually made her semi-nauseous, but she had Reyes to bury her nose against. 

He stepped back before they could get too distracted, taking a look around, brow knit, as if he completely lost track of where they were. 

“I’m not drinking coffee with you in an elevator,” she warned, regaining enough of her senses to put in a formal protest. “My standards aren’t high, but there’s a line.” 

He grinned, towing her out of the lift and into the muddy, dimly lit streets beyond. “Then keep me distracted until we get there. What’s the craziest place you’ve had a cup of coffee with someone?” 

“Oh, easy. Back of an evac shuttle, getting shot at by pirates.” 

He perked an eyebrow. “You’re shitting me.” 

“Nope. The guy was absolutely bugfuck insane and I was nineteen and stupid. To be fair, he had a heart of gold. He saved a lot of lives. I mean, it was because he was the only one crazy enough to pull of the shit he did, but still. Good guy.” 

_ “Pathfinder. You've picked up an additional tail,”  _ SAM abruptly warned, interrupting her story. 

She exhaled sharply. “How many does that make? Anyone we recognize?”

_ “This would be the third, and he’s armed. His face is not in my database.” _

Reyes glanced over at her. “Third? You have people following you?”

“Every time I’m in Kadara. Give the other two a minute to catch up. They’ll find alternate routes down instead of the lift, but it won’t take them long.” 

He had the good sense not to go necking around for a glimpse of her shadows, but his body tensed. “They ever cause you trouble? Who are they?” 

“Nah. I figure one reports to the Outcasts, and the other, probably the Collective. Not that because they  _ haven’t _ tried something stupid means they won’t.” She felt her shoulders bunch at the reminder. Not one fucking moment of peace in this city. She hoped her extracurriculars this trip made for interesting reading material for whoever they reported to. 

“And the third?” he pressed, a frown giving way on his face. 

“Hey, don’t worry about it. Probably got an eyeful of my boots and is hoping to catch me off guard.” 

He threaded his fingers through her hair. “But you’re never off guard.” 

“Not in this lifetime.” 

Casting a pointed look behind them, he said, “I see I have my work cut out for me. When was the last time someone took care of your needs,  _ hermosa _ ? Let you relax?” 

“Relax? What’s that?” she joked. 

He made a noise of frustration, combing her hair aside and setting his lips against her ear so that his hot breath whispered against it. “I’m going to make you a cup of coffee so strong you’ll forget your own name.” 

A spear of fire raked down her spine, turning her knees to a gelatinous mess. 

Violet had really meant to be in charge for this one, to take what she needed, drink his coffee, and then escape before full regret could set in. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to see what he had in mind for her...

They arrived past the shipping containers to a stack of prefab housing units that were a fire marshall’s nightmare. They had been built about four high and ten long with walkways running along the upper levels and narrow steps leading up to each one. They made up a good portion of the slum’s outer wall, facing the badlands, so maybe they at least had a window off the back to give them natural light and a view.

“Cheap rent really worth this?” 

“Every cent saved.” 

“Does it have indoor plumbing?” 

“We could always go back to the  _ Tempest _ if it offends your sensibilities.” 

And parade her coffee date around in front of the crew? Definitely not. She held up her hands in surrender. “Let’s see your palace, then.” 

His unit was at the top of the stack, not far from the narrow, sulfur crusted staircase leading up. He punched in a code into the door and stepped aside to let her in. Lights popped on, set off by motion sensors, illuminating a combined kitchen and living room with a single window that presumably looked out over the darkened Kadaran landscape. It was camped living, reminding her a lot of various dorms and apartments she had been stuffed in and out of throughout her life, the surfaces made of molded plastic, adorned with basic appliances. He owned a single couch and coffee table that faced a vid screen. The kitchen had limited counter space and a single barstool. 

The one thing that could be said about his apartment was that it smelled  _ great _ . She inhaled deeply after crossing the threshold, delivered from Kadara’s sulfuric burn and into the arms of spice and warmth. 

“Ha! So you do get fed up with Kadara’s stench!” she accused. 

He closed the door and keyed the outer locks, turning to catch her waist and walk her further inside. “Best air scrubbers credits can by. The accommodations might be modest, but I’ve made a few improvements.” 

Releasing her, he crossed over to the kitchen and dug around in the cupboards for a bag of already ground coffee beans and filters to start brewing. His setup wasn’t extravagant, but it would get the job done. Violet didn’t fuck around when it came to coffee. 

She studied him as he filled the pot from water taken from a jug chilled in the refrigerator, examining the angles of his face and the structure of his body. He had the build more of a brawler than an adonis, she decided. Heavy with muscle, delightful with each contour, but not as finely chiseled as, say, Liam. 

“Have a seat,” he offered, gesturing to his cramped living room. 

“My bathroom is bigger than this place,” she complained as she dropped onto the sofa. It was surprisingly comfortable. Maybe being a smuggler had its perks. 

“Seems like a bad time to say, ‘size doesn’t matter.’” He dropped onto the couch next to her, recapturing her hand to stroke his thumb across her palm. “Besides, how are you not stacked on top of everyone in the  _ Tempest _ ?”

“The Pathfinder’s quarters are twice the size of this entire apartment. The others are packed in like sardines, but I could host a whole krogan orgie if I wanted.” 

“Now that’s not the image I wanted in my head,” he muttered.

He abandoned her again when the coffee pot beeped, pouring them each a cup and returning to the couch to hand her one. Their fingers brushed during the transfer, the heat of the cup scalding her palm and the pads of her fingers. She lifted it to her lips, barely touching her tongue against the hot surface, just for a taste, locking eyes with him over the rim of the cup. 

He watched with dilated eyes and parted lips. “Fuck, you’re beautiful. I don’t know what I want to do with you first, you’re so goddamn beautiful.” 

She extended a hand out and clinked her cup lightly against his. “I have a few ideas you might be interested in.” 

Grinning, dimple appearing on his cheek, he took a sip of his own coffee. “Oh, you will be the death of me,  _ hermosa. _ You can be sure of that.” 

The coffee was rich, black, bitter, just the way she liked it. No sugar. No cream. She lingered on each sip, eyes half-lidded as it washed over her. She glanced up and caught Reyes staring at her again, a little smile curving his lips, his cup lowered in front of him. He opened his mouth, as if to say something more, but an automated voice cut him off. 

_ “Pathfinder.” _

Both of them groaned audibly as SAM’s voice broke between them. 

“Yes?” she sighed. 

_ “I apologize for the interruption, but I thought it prudent to remind you that, while your innoculations will keep you safe from most local bacteria and viruses, next time, bringing your own cup might be prudent.”  _

“Your AI is a menace, you know that?” 

She glared toward the ceiling. “Make a note, SAM. These conversations should all happen  _ before _ he hands me the cup. Maybe before the date entirely.” 

_ “I understand, but I didn’t deem it necessary earlier, as you stated to me that you would not, under no uncertain terms, drink coffee with Mr. Vidal.” _ He at least had the decency to sound apologetic. 

Reyes rested his cheek against her knee. “Ouch.”

“Shut up.” 

“Me or SAM?” 

“Both. SAM, your concerns are noted. Would you mind going silent except for emergencies?” 

_ “Of course, Ryder. Enjoy your evening.” _

“Can’t you turn him off?” 

She flattened her lips, propping one arm on the back the couch and leaning her head in her hand. While she couldn’t strictly turn him off, she could have him pause his logs. However, she had already come to the conclusion that she wouldn’t do that to him during significant experiences, good or bad. He was supposed to be learning about humanity through her, and while drinking coffee with a sexy exile didn’t rank too high on her list of life-altering events, it had its own purpose. 

“No. He’ll be quiet, though.” 

He reached out and traced circles against her leg just above her knee, expression contemplative. “Because you asked it of him. You didn’t tell him.” 

“We’re stuck with each other. I’d rather our relationship be based in respect. He deserves choice.”

Thinking that over a moment, he finally nodded. “Fine. But I hope you stay and finish your coffee. I’m not done marveling at your perfection.” 

Violet adjusted her body, maybe posing a little across from him on the couch. “Fine, but don’t take too long, or I’ll finish my coffee without you.” 

He grinned, eyes raking back over her. “Deal.”

They each went back to drinking. It was cool enough now that she could take larger swallows, letting each, bitter taste linger on her tongue before gulping it down. Reyes, she had to admit, made a delightful cup of coffee. 

He muttered something while she drank, too soft for her to catch fully, but it seemed to be another praise to her beauty. She hadn’t been wholly convinced that she liked how fixated he was on her physicality up to that point, but that utterance burned through her. His voice had gone deep, rough, where it dragged against her like a cat’s tongue until her skin tingled all over. 

His eyes burned into her. The coffee left her body jellied. Another sip, and the most embarrassing mewling noise dragged from her lips. 

She slapped hand over her mouth. 

That did  _ not _ just happen. 

Reyes grinned wider, tipping his cup back and draining the entire thing. 

Her body gave a delicate shudder. She could watch him drink all day. He was too good at this. Better than any coffee date she had recently, including the whole year leading up to the launch of the Andromeda Initiative. When was the last time somebody else made the coffee and gave her a cup? It was about time she got her standards back on track. 

“This is good,” she cooed, and also finished her cup in a few quick swallows, her body humming with energy as caffeine lit up every nerve. She let out a small hum of admiration. 

What had he said about making her coffee so strong she couldn’t remember her own name? He was certainly on the right track. 

Reyes took her cup, retreating to the kitchen while she composed herself, and poured them each a second cup. 

“That was...holy shit,” she gasped, following after him. 

“You make delicious noises, you know that?” he purred, leaning a hip against the counter. 

She ran her hands along the line of shoulder and down the muscles of his arm, just wanting to be as close to him as she could for a few minutes more, still buzzing with the energy from her last cup. Smiling, he pulled away and opened his cupboard again. She caught a glimpse of different tins and bags, each labeled. Different brews, it appeared. Dark roasts, light roasts, beans from the Milky Way, others grown on Andromeda. 

“Interesting collection,” she mused. 

“Not much to do on long Kadara nights between jobs.” He seized the tin he was looking for, scooping grounds into a fresh filter. He left the cupboard open for her inspection. “Anything catch your eye?”

“Is it weird I’m giving serious thought of pilfering from your coffee stash? I left most of my good stuff in the Milky Way.” 

He grinned, replaced the old grounds with the new in the coffee pot. “You’ll just have to come back whenever you need that itch scratched.” 

Violet watched as the new pot began to gurgle. “Well, that puts a damper on my ideas for a meaningless one-night-coffee-date. Would you consider a drinking buddy arrangement?” 

“For you,  _ hermosa _ , I would sell my very soul.” 

“You can keep your soul. It’s really just your coffee I want. Well, and maybe some conversation, Shena.” 

“Told you I never got any complaints.” 

He slipped an arm around her waist and she set her head against his shoulder until the new pot had brewed. His body was warm and pliant, a soft spot to nestle against until they each had fresh cups of coffee to enjoy. She held onto his hand until they were seated back on his couch. She blew across the surface of her drink, creating delicate ripples against the darkness. The first sip left her weak in the knees. She could drink it forever. She really needed to find more guys like Reyes. Or maybe just keep drinking with Reyes. Often. Her whole last year of coffee dates seemed like a tragic waste in comparison. 

Violet let out a squeak when he shifted and retrieved her cup to set on the coffee table. 

“You are thinking far too much,” he growled, pressing a thumb to the spot between her eyes. “You get a crease just there when your mind won't shut up.” 

“You barely know me,” she shot back, squirming in his arms to find a comfortable position. 

“Then tell me I'm wrong. That your mind wasn't elsewhere, daydreaming.”

“Does it count if I was daydreaming about how I plan to brew coffee here every time I'm in Kadara?”

“Then why the little scowl?” 

“Because I was  _ also _ thinking about how disappointing all the times I’ve had coffee with others has been in the last year.” 

“If you are thinking about other people, I'm not doing my job.”

She arched into him and caught his hand to bring to her lips. “It was a flattering thought about you in comparison.” 

Releasing her, he retrieved their cups and shoved hers back into her hands. “You should be a shuddering, lovely mess.” He encouraged her to take another drink “You shouldn't be able to make words, much less thoughts.” He took a long drink himself. “Your body should be fire.”

Violet’s entire world became Reyes and the cup of coffee at her lips. He grasped her hand tightly, watching with smoldering eyes as she came undone between the richness of her drink and the power of his gaze. She drank deeply, each swallow  _ just fucking right _ so that she lost herself in the buzz of ecstasy. His hand fastened tighter around her fingers, squeezing them in a powerful grip. She couldn’t turn her eyes away from him, too entranced with the shape of his lips against the rim of his cup and the flutter of eyelashes on his cheek. 

She lifted up on the couch, scooting close and flipping a leg over his thighs so that she straddled him, taking his cup in her hand and lifting it to her own lips, stealing a taste. He caramel eyes blew wide, dilating almost entirely to black. Their fingers laced between them and she took a scalding gulp of her coffee while he watched the smooth muscles contract in her throat as she tipped it back and swallowed. She drank until her cup ran dry, dropped it aside, and then took his cup again, lifting it back to his lips. He drank until it was also gone. 

They sat there for a moment, panting a little and studying each other with singular intensity as the last waves of bitterness faded from their tongues. Finally, she rolled off of him, settling back onto the cushion at his side, releasing his hand and withdrawing entirely back to herself. 

“You drank it all?” she confirmed. 

He nodded. “Right after you did.” 

She felt pleasantly relaxed, her body still buzzing from the caffeine. Reyes sat up first, scraping his hair back with his fingers and a long exhale. 

“Bathroom?” she asked. 

“Door right over there.” 

Violet disappeared into the closet he considered a bathroom to compose herself.  The first glimpse of her reflection she caught didn't even look like her. Her hair wild, makeup smudged, shoulders relaxed, lips soft. So unlike the uptight, stressed out, put together person she had been for months. She smiled. Damn, she needed this. She combed her hair with her fingers as she emerged.

Reyes was checking messages on his omnitool, but he closed the app and glanced her over when she came out, a smile cracking his lips. “Am I terrible that I want to brew another pot?”

“Save something for next time. I need to get back to the  _ Tempest _ before they all wonder if I was kidnapped and murdered.” 

“You aren't going to tell them?”

She snorted, settling on the bar stool next to the counter. “I won't need to. They'll know the second I walk in. Or, Jaal will know because he reads me absurdly well and he'll blab to one of them and there's no stopping it from there.”

His dimple flashed as he fought a smile. “Sounds nice and cozy.”

“Try sharing a bathroom with them.”

“What, no private bathroom in your gigantic Pathfinder suite?”

She hook her head. “Major design flaw, if you ask me, and we probably have a tighter water ration than you do.”

He poured two cups of water from his stash in the fridge, passing one to her. “Tragic.”

“But at least I can do something about yours, if I ever get an extra day to find clear out that third goddamn monolith so I can activate it.”

His eyebrows perked. “Clear it out?”

“Oh, this stupid outlaw gang thought it would be funny to set up camp there and shoot at us every time we try to get close. I just haven't had the chance to deal with them with other priorities, and now I'm on a mandatory rest from Lexi after, you know, dying a little bit.” She felt her shoulders begin to tense back up. She sipped her water. 

“I thought your higher-ups weren't interested in restoring Kadara's vault anyway.”

Her lip curled. “They can suck it. Maybe, just maybe, it'll earn me some favors with some of you. Tann made a shitty call, and Sloane is a conniving fuckbucket, but if I had my way, we'd start mending some of those rifts. Call me naive, but I want the exiles and the Initiative to start working together again. I still want an outpost here, no matter what, but if I can get leadership from both ends to cooperate…” She glanced at his face and sighed. “You think it's stupid? You think it's stupid. Hell, I think it's stupid.”

He smiled. “I don't think it's stupid.” He propped his arms on the counter between them, studying her. “Have you thought about striking an alliance with the Collective?”

She snorted, toying with the rim of her water glass. “To what end? Sloane has control of the port, and dealing with the Collective would just piss her off. No, with any luck, fixing the water will endear me enough to her black, shriveled heart to get her to let me have an outpost, and maybe, just maybe start dealing with the Initiative again.”

Reyes shrugged. “Sloane may not be in power forever.”

“And until that day, what choice do I have?”

“I suppose you have a point. But first thing, you need to correct that monolith, and there, I think I can help you.”

She eyed him skeptically. “Dare I ask what you want in return.”

“You can owe me a favor.”

Violet hated owing undefined favors, but she figured she had quite a bit of negotiating power with him now. “So, what's your solution?”

“A friend with some firepower owes me. Consider your monolith clear for your leisure.”

It seemed all too simple, but when was the last time anyone handed her anything? If Reyes said he could clear the monolith, she would give him a chance. “Okay, I'll take it. About damn time this galaxy was easy.”

“Other than me?”

She grinned. “Yeah, Reyes, other than you.” Before she could decide to let him brew that new pot, she scooted back from the counter. “I’ve probably got to get going. If I’m gone for any longer, you’ll have an angry pathfinding team beating down your door for absconding with their leader.”

He rounded the end of the counter and adjusted her scarf, setting his warm hands on either side of her shoulders, fingers straying against the ends of her hair. “Before you go, I was wondering if the designation ‘drinking buddy’ was up for negotiation.”

She tensed. “Don’t ruin a good thing, Vidal.” 

“Relax. I was thinking more along the lines of a ‘friends with benefits’ situation. ‘Drinking buddy’ seems impersonal, like all we’re doing is messing around. I like you, Violet. I hope we are on good enough terms for that, at least.” 

It was hard to think when he stood so close and smelled so good, skimming her with those caramel eyes of his. It wasn’t like she didn’t like him, too. On the contrary, it felt nice to have someone outside the  _ Tempest _ she got along with so well. 

“Friends with benefits,” she agreed, a little smile curving her lips. 

He leaned forward, snagging a quick taste of her. She wiggled out of his grasp before he could pull her back in and convince her to stay. Pecking him one last time on the mouth, already looking forward to their next encounter, she headed for the door.

“Hey, my glass.” 

It was still half-full of water and clutched possessively in her hand. “I’ll owe you one,” she called over her shoulder on her way out. 

It wasn’t the worst walk of shame she had ever done. It was only an hour or two after sunset, she wasn’t wearing a trashy dress, she had both of her shoes intact, and no mysterious stains anywhere she could see. Her usual two shadows fell into place, but the third didn’t show back up. Must have decided her boots weren’t worth it after all. 

By the time she strolled back up to the  _ Tempest _ , she had drained most of her water and felt relaxed enough for a nap. 

“You’re home late.” Vetra fell into step with her as she trudged past the cargo hold. “What’s with the cup?” 

“Stole it. I wasn’t finished, so I took it with me.”

“How’d the party go?” 

“It was boring. Sloane was butthurt I crashed, so I didn’t stay for long.” 

“Oh?” the turian prompted. 

“I helped Reyes get into a room with cargo to snatch a fancy bottle of whiskey, got tipsy with him on the docks, managed to  _ not  _ fall off said docks, then we went back to his place, he made a cup of coffee that blew my mind, I stole his cup on my way out the door, and here we are.” 

“What happened to not drinking hot beverages with him?” 

“He put up a convincing counter-argument?” 

“Oh?” 

“I kissed him as a point of clever subterfuge. It was enough to convince me that his coffee would be good.” She shrugged. “Anyway, I’m going to shower and then maybe sleep. Anybody need me for anything in the meantime?” 

Vetra shook her head. “Nothing exciting happened here. Glad you had fun, though. You were looking tense.” 

“Yeah, no shit.” 

She avoided the rest of the crew, isolating herself in the shower, first, and then her room for a much needed nap. SAM interrogated her on the meaning of her relationship with Reyes once she was secluded, requesting context to their encounter. The conversation ran a little longer than she would have liked, but she was teaching the baby AI about humanity, and that meant the occasional philosophical discussions about her romantic life and the dissonance between love and coffee. 

Settling in once all AI queries had been settled, she lay on her back to stare at her ceiling. 

_ “Pathfinder. I don’t want to interrupt, since your body is exhibiting signs of natural sleep progression, but you have an email that just cleared you need to see.” _

“Reyes?” she guessed, smirking. 

_ “It’s Dr. Carlyle, actually.” _

She flipped onto her stomach, heart clanging loudly against her chest, fingers fumbling against her omnitool to pull it up. The message was short. 

_ Violet. Avery is awake. You should be here. - Harry _

**Author's Note:**

> Also, MY VERY LOVELY VERY TALENTED FRIEND DID MORE ART FOR VIOLET. Because she's a perfect human being and a fabulous soul to boot. She's such a dear for taking pity on lesser mortals like me with no artistic talent. <3
> 
>  
> 
> <http://i.imgur.com/txAQSsA.jpg>


End file.
